


message of the stars

by spideynamu



Series: irondad bingo: halloween edition [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Buzzfeed Unsolved References, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Peter Parker Has a Family, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, i went camping once so most of it was bs lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 21:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20973395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spideynamu/pseuds/spideynamu
Summary: Peter tells Tony what the stars remind him of during a camping trip.(bingo prompt: “This is where they all die in the movies.”)





	message of the stars

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be scary and shit?? but then it turned soft and now i'm just in my irondad feels lmao.

Tony didn’t know why he had suggested it—actually yes he did, he just wanted to spend more time with Peter.

The kid’s been too busy with school lately, he’s already had to cancel lab day five times already.

And he knew Peter felt bad about missing lab days, but it’s not like the kid could just reschedule his finals. 

Tony was so glad for Friday because it was the kid’s last day testing and then Peter would be _free._

What better way to celebrate by taking him somewhere? That’s what good da—mentors did according to that parenting book he'd read once in his spare time.

Maybe they could go camping?

“Hey, FRI, send Pete a message about camping this weekend will you?” he asked as he fiddled on the gauntlet with a screwdriver.

“Sure thing, Boss.”

Tony could count the number of times he went camping easily on one hand.

The first time had been when he was about 12 and Jarvis insisted he leave because he knew that he needed a break from the Stark mansion.

That was a distant memory now, but every time he thought of that moment, he was embraced by the warmth of hazy memories. There were flashes of a warm fire, soft breezes singing and the sight of twinkling stars.

The second time had been during his senior year of college.

He and Rhodey just wanted to get away from MIT and just life in general.

He still remembered that night clearly, two bottles of beer between them as Tony rambled on about how much an amazing Platypus he had for a best friend. 

Tony was pretty sure Rhodey had gagged when he said that, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

And the third time had been right after his parents’ death, the press had hounded on him despite his numerous requests for privacy.

Obadiah was already trying to schedule him in for interviews and getting his signature for all the legal work.

Tony was just sick of it all.

So with a scary glare to Obadiah, Rhodey dragged Tony away from the city and back to _their_ camping site.

That night had passed by with Tony’s head against Rhodey’s shoulder, silent sobs shaking him.

Neither of them had said a word that night, but that was alright, they didn't need to say anything to fill the silence.

The last time he went camping was with Pepper for a weekend getaway to escape all their work. The time was spent with them both smiling and just enjoying the other’s company.

He told Pepper that he loved her, and Pepper answered by kissing his cheek, whispering a soft _I love you, too._

Now, maybe he could carry on his camping tradition with the people he cared about the most with Peter.

“A message from Spider-Baby, Boss,” FRIDAY chimed, and Tony nodded, reading the message on the screen he pulled up.

_i’d love too, mr. stark!! do i need to pack anything?? i’ve only been camping twice so idk y’know_

Tony smiled before telling FRIDAY to text Peter that he had everything handled, all he needed to do was show up.  
__

Peter had been binge-watching the fourth season of Buzzfeed Unsolved when Mr. Stark texted him.

“You are my dad! You’re my dad! Boogie, woogie, woogie!”

He definitely didn’t jump onto the ceiling when he heard the ringtone that Ned had set for Mr. Stark because he thought he was _so_ funny.

Mr. Stark was just his _mentor._

Right?

_Hey kid, you wanna go camping this weekend?_

Of course, he wanted to go camping this weekend, he hadn’t seen Mr. Stark at all last week because he had been swamped with finals. 

He happily texted his answer before turning back to his episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved, making sure he had his webshooters just in case because you never know.

It was three in the morning by the time Peter fell asleep, eyes dozing off to something about the Black Dahlia Murder. He was pretty sure he heard that somewhere before, maybe MJ had mentioned it to him before or something.

He could’ve sworn only five minutes had passed when he heard someone knocking on his door, and _why was it six already?_

“Pete, come on, Tony’s waiting for you,” May reminded him, and Peter scrambled out of bed.

He quickly got ready, hugging May as she kissed his cheek, before he ran out the door, smiling at the sight of Mr. Stark’s familiar car.

“Hey kid,” the genius grinned from the driver’s seat and Peter’s face split into a happy grin.

“Hey, Mr. Stark! Guess what, no more finals,” he sighed with relief, relaxing into the passenger seat. 

“I heard kiddo, good job by the way.”

Peter felt a rush of pride hearing Mr. Stark’s kind words, and he sent him a small smile.

“Where are we camping, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked, grabbing a blanket from the backseat.

Stupid spider powers with no thermoregulation.

“Up to Cranberry Lake Campground, FRI says we’ll be there in about five and a half hours,” Tony paused, driving onto I-87, “might as well get more sleep, kid.”

Peter didn’t have to be told twice before he knocked out, the soft sound of Tony’s classic rock lulling him to sleep.  
__

_Peter was swinging around New York, flashing peace signs to the people below as they cheered him on._

“Kid? Kid, come on, wake up!”

His eyes opened in a flash, realizing that they were definitely not in Queens anymore. Peter looked around, scanning the forest and everything was just so quiet.

But not in a bad way, he didn’t even realize how accustomed he was to the constant noise until now. A few stray leaves were fluttering to the ground as a soft wind moved them.

Man, he _loved_ fall.

“What do ya think, Pete?” Tony asked, pulling out camping equipment from the car.

“It’s awesome Mr. Stark, this is so cool,” Peter rambled, “man, just wait till I tell Ned about this!”

Warmth flashed in Tony’s eyes as he listened to Peter’s excitement.

After setting up camp they spent most of the day hiking around, Peter taking pictures of what he deemed worthy—which was well, everything. Tony was so happy to be with the kid again, just laughing and enjoying the moment.

By nightfall they were sitting shoulder to shoulder by a campfire, carefully roasting marshmallows—Peter liked his soft and gooey while Tony liked his a bit charred, which ultimately led to a debate about what the perfect marshmallow was.

Peter leaned against Tony’s side, reveling in how peaceful it was. He relaxed completely against Tony’s side, content as he felt a hand gently comb through his curls.

He looked up, eyes widening at the sight of all the stars scattered across the night sky; some reminded him of May when she got home from a long day of work, eyes twinkling when she saw that Peter had made dinner that night.

A patch of the sky reminded him of the blue of Mr. Stark’s arc reactor, a soft blue mixed with white light, that just made him think of _safe._ Another part of the sky made him remember the first time he had visited Mr. Stark’s lab, he couldn’t stop laughing when DUM-E had knocked over a box to greet him.

Some stars reminded Peter of Ben and May’s marriage rings, full of love and dedication, another section made him think of Miss Potts' engagement ring and the surprise he felt when he realized that the press conference wasn't a _test._

He smiled when he remembered Miss Potts had thanked him for finally getting Tony to pop the question, pulling him into a warm hug.

Some made him think of the first movie night the Iron Family—as Peter had shyly dubbed it—had. Mr. Rhodey and Mr. Stark were throwing popcorn at each other while May and Miss Potts looked at them exasperated and Happy just rolled his eyes.

The stars reminded him of his _family._

A _crack_ filled his ears, something was nearby—a stick? or was it leaves?—snapped him out of his reverie. 

“Mr. Stark, did you hear that?” Peter whispered, hoping whatever was hiding wasn’t going to kill them.

The back of his neck tingled, something was there but he couldn’t tell if it was a threat or not and holy shit what if they got murdered in the woods like that one Buzzfeed Unsolved episode or what if Bigfoot had found them?

As helpful as his Spidey Sense was, it didn’t do anything to subdue his Peter Anxiety, what the hell was out there?

“Probably just a raccoon, Pete, nothing harmless,” Tony answered, but Peter felt the way he squeezed him tighter and he didn’t do anything to protest it.

“You know, this is where they all die in the movies.”

Tony snorted, nervously tapping on his watch, while Peter mirrored his worry as he fidgeted with his webshooters. They both knew that it wasn’t likely something would happen to them while they were camping, but past experiences said otherwise.

Eventually, Peter managed to calm down a little, a breath of relief as he realized that they were fine—Tony seemed to notice Peter relaxing and he stopped tapping his watch, opting to hug Peter closer.

“Mr. Stark, I know we set up the tent already,” Peter started, twiddling his thumbs, “but can we just sleep under the stars tonight?”

The thought of seeing the stars irked Tony, but he couldn’t say no when Peter was looking at him so hopefully.

“Sure, any reason why, kiddo?”

A warm smile covered Peter’s face as he looked at the sky again, a happy blush covering his face.

“It just reminds me of our family—that part over there reminds me of May,” he pointed to a spot to the left before pointing to the right, “that part makes me think of your arc reactor, y’know, safe.”

_Our family._

Sometimes it amazed Tony at how _good_ his kid was, that a person could be so kind and willing to help others without expecting anything in return. And to hear him of all people say that the arc reactor made him feel safe melted Tony’s heart.

“And then over there reminds me of Miss Potts, I don’t know, just kind and pretty,” Peter paused before pointing to the middle of the sky, “and that makes me think of Happy and Mr. Rhodey, caring but also snarky.”

Tony smiled so wide his face hurt, he hid his smile as he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the crown of Peter’s head.

That night Tony and Peter slept soundly, no nightmare daring to interrupt dreams filled with love and laughter, and their patchwork family.

And the stars watched over them safely.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are highly appreciated!
> 
> reviews and criticism are appreciated as well.
> 
> thank you so much for reading <3000


End file.
